Im researching origins of the eskimo roll. Somewhere I heard that the
original (Greenland kayak) roll was longitudinal and not around the
latitudinal axis (i.e. simple capsize and immediate stroke upright with
paddle, harpoon, throwstick, or hands); in a sea that was freezing, a `wet'
exit could be quickly fatal, even if the paddler/hunter could swim which
many of them could not ... dealing - in a slender, unstable skinboat into
which you were stitched - with recalcitrant (often large) prey unwilling to
succumb meant that the hunter had to be athletic and highly maneuverable in
his craft...so what we call a `roll' today was just a simple recovery stroke
accomplished in a rich variety of ways... the original roll (I think) was in
response to the mini-tsunami that occurred when chunks of ice dropped off at
the head of the fjord... one would turn the kayak roughly 45 degrees to the
oncoming wave, capsize just before it hit, then use the wave to flip the
boat more or less longitudinally upright... Im not sure if anyone has ever
done this in today's world (since a 17` kayak is treacherous in shallow
surf, and it is difficult to arrange a mini-tsunami here around our lakes
and rivers), or even if this account is true... does anyone have
ideas/evidence? thanks JESL